New Age Islam News Bureau
8 March 2012
• Rape Continues to
be Used as Tool to Suppress Women: Asian Human Rights Commission
• Those who commit
Human Rights abuses cannot preach to Sri Lanka
• Hamid Karzai under
fire on Afghan women's rights
• British terrorist
with links to 7/7 'White Widow' was 'captured on bus while disguised as woman'
• Indian journalist
arrested over Israel embassy attack
• SIMI men now in
social activists’ garb
• NYPD: Relations
with Muslims in region are strong
• Muslim and African
nations walk out of UN panel on gay rights
• Iran's supreme
leader says Obama comments are 'window of opportunity'
• Former US soldier
accused of trying to join Somali terror group, al-Shabaab
• Nigeria: Radical
Islamist sect sets another school ablaze amid international watchdog warning
• Pak President vows
to emancipate, empower Pakistani women
• Iran: New report
finds surge in repression of dissent
• J&K Hurriyat
Leader demands arrest of Praveen Togadia for anti-Islam remarks
• 4th WUC General
Assembly and 6th Leadership Training Seminar to be held in Tokyo
• Pakistani Taliban
in talks to heal rift: Sources
• Pakistan in
terrorism frontline, says Pakistan P M
• Pakistani Christian
victim of Muslim-Christian leader’s conspiracy
'• Curry makes our children grow up faster': Pakistan authorities
• Pakistan possesses
up to 110 nuclear weapons, report says
• GCC investing in
food security in Pakistan, India and others
• UK aid launches
grant funds for education in Pakistan
• Syria's deputy oil
minister defects from Assad regime
• Israel concerned
about shift in status quo in Muslim world: Velayati
• Indonesia wants to
join BRICS
• US diplomat denies
threats to Pakistan over IP gas line
• In bin Laden's
lair, his wives split by suspicions
• Saudi Telecom's
home boom may trim foreign ambitions
• Samjhauta blast
accused Chauhan’s wife stages stir
• Syed Kirmani halted
from entering cricket stadium in Pakistan
Complied
by New Age Islam News Bureau
Photo:
Pak Brigadier (retired) Ali Khan
URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pak-brigadier-tried-create-islamic/d/6808
Omer Farooq Khan,
TNN
ISLAMABAD: Mar 8,
2012, Pakistan’s military court has temporarily stopped court martial
proceedings against Brigadier (retired) Ali Khan, who plotted to create an
Islamic caliphate, after his health deteriorated during the trial on Wednesday.
Khan and four other officers were detained in May, 2011 for suspected links to
banned group Hizbut Tahrir (HuT) and for planning to topple the government and
mount attacks on the army HQ in Rawalpindi. He was working at the army general
HQ at the time of his arrest. Recently military officials revealed startling
information about his activities when he was in the army.
The BBC quoted a
senior military official as saying that Khan had met the chief of HuT for
Palestinian territory and was plotting to overthrow the government to create an
Islamic caliphate. According to brigadier Amir Riaz, the head of 111 Brigade,
Khan had disclosed that HuT has prepared a new constitution and a shadow
government for Pakistan and that the group was ready to take over anytime.
Brig Riaz has been
introduced by the prosecution as a witness against Khan. Brig Riaz said Khan
believed that HuT could establish a caliphate in Pakistan only if the military
handed over power to it. And this was not possible until the incumbent military
brass was removed.
"Khan told me
that some elements in Pakistan air force were part of the HuT conspiracy and
they would mount an air raid on the general headquarters with F-16 fighter jets
during a corps commanders' conference to eliminate the army brass."
Riaz claimed that
Khan had asked him to take over key buildings in Islamabad following such an
attack. "But I had turned down the offer," he said. According to BBC,
Brig Riaz was promoted to the rank of Maj Gen following his statement.
Taliban rebel says
US forced Pak to end peace talks
Arebel commander
who was recently removed from the post of deputy chief of the Pakistani Taliban
has said that the Pakistan government suspended negotiations with local
militants due to pressure from the US. Maulvi Faqir Mohammad reiterated his
support for peace talks with the Pakistan government though it is believed that
his backing for the nascent peace process was the reason for his removal from
the top position in the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan. He said there was no harm in
talking to the government if it was willing to accept their demands for
restoring peace in the tribal areas."Our rulers' lust for dollars never
gets satiated and that's why they suspended talks," Faqir Mohammad said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pak-brigadier-tried-to-create-Islamic-caliphate/articleshow/12181859.cms
--------
Rape Continues to
be Used as Tool to Suppress Women: Asian Human Rights Commission
LAHORE: March 08,
2012, On the occasion of International Women's Day, the Asian Human Rights
Commission (AHRC) expressed its deep concern over an increase in the violence
against women, saying it was the strongest form of suppression of women and
undermining of their self-esteem.
“Rape and
especially gang rape is one of the worst forms of violence against women in
Pakistani society, which claims itself to be an Islamic state and constantly
repeats that it is promoting gender equality according to the teachings of
Islam. In general, the state and the society are not seriously committed to
getting rid of the menace of rape from Pakistani society. Instead, the
government praises its policies to eradicate rape, though it has largely failed
to diminish sexual violence from the society, to hold the perpetrators
accountable and to alleviate the pain that a victim of rape bears for the rest
of her life. The issue of rape and gang rape has not been properly addressed to
identify the root causes of this evil. The government and judiciary have both
failed to stop the increasing incidents of rape and gang rape because of their
gender-biased approach and adherence to old traditions,” said a statement
issued by the AHRC.
The AHRC statement
further said, “When a country declares itself a religious homogenous society,
everything is seen through the spectacle of religion, demolishing the rights of
the fragile section of society. On the one hand, the state and government say
they are the custodians of Islamic teachings, while on the other they always
ignore the rights of women and their treatment as a sexual commodity in
society. This is the basic approach which is dominating Pakistani society and
that is why it is difficult to attempt to eradicate rape and diagnose the root
causes.”
Criticising the
role of the government and society, the statement said, “The failure to protect
women from sexual violence remains a matter of serious concern. It is
emblematic of how a discriminatory patriarchal mindset permeating all spheres
of the society, including the justice and policing system, continues to prevent
women from enjoying their fundamental rights, freedom and dignity and hampers
their active participation, equality and development, to the detriment of the
general welfare of the Pakistani society. Cases of rape and violence against
women have increased tremendously and women have become more vulnerable on the
one hand by the state repression, law enforcement agencies, biased behaviours
of judiciary, and on the other hand through the Talibanisation of society. In
all this, the most common thing is that the rape of women folk is not taken as
a serious issue by the government, the judiciary and the law enforcement
agencies.”
The statement
continues, “Violence against women makes up 95 percent of the cases of violence
reported in Pakistan. These statistics are even more chilling, bearing in mind
that 70 percent of the cases of violence against women do not get registered.
It is reported that a rape occurs in Pakistan every two hours and a gang rape
every eight hours. The persistence of violence against women in Pakistan
reveals the failure of the judicial system, which is affected by a strong
feudal system, religious and social taboos, traditions, customs, a homogeneous
religious society, a vast gender gap and a policing system and sexual
discrimination in economic and social activities. Women are treated as man's
property and rape has become a form of violence against women and also a method
of revenge against men.”
“Lack of
gender-focused education, sexual stereotypes and decadent myths impede the
necessary growth of individuals and transitions in societal norms and
attitudes. One of the reasons of the increasing incidents is the improper
presentation of women and violence against them in the media, which never
played a positive role to stop violence, but rather sensationalised cases of
rape and on many occasions the media has put the burden of rape on the victims,
blaming their personal characters The law enforcement authorities are one of
the causes of promoting incidents of rape and strengthening the perpetrators by
refusing to lodge cases of rape. A ‘false accuser’ phenomenon compels the
victim not to report, which actually encourages the powerful people of the
society to commit crimes with impunity and get away without much difficulty. As
they are unable to find legal remedies, the families prefer to seek out of
police and out of court solutions for rape,” the statement said.
“As women are still
branded as carrying the "honour" of the family, rape is used as a way
to seek revenge when a dispute arises between two families. The notion of
"honour" being tarnished when a woman is raped only adds to the
sufferings of the victims. Women have always been accused of tarnishing the
honour of the family and are generally forced to marry the perpetrators, and in
many cases the judicial officers compel the victim to marry the attacker. Women's
rights groups in Pakistan believe that a narrow interpretation of Shariah has
proved harmful to the rights of women, as it reinforces popular attitudes and
perceptions around a women's body and sexuality. It also contributes to an
atmosphere where discriminatory treatment of women is accepted more readily,”
said the AHRC statement.
“Also in the
incidents of rape, there are many cases which were reported in the media that
women were paraded naked in the streets after some personal dispute or on the
accusation of having an illicit relationship. The government usually announces
that it will take strict action but, to date, not a single person has been
convicted. Even in the cases of gang rape, the perpetrators get away with their
crimes because of insufficient evidence from the prosecution and the
patriarchal and biased attitude of the judiciary. The case of Mukhtaran Mai is
the best example, where the matter remained pending for a very long time
without any substantial progress,” the statement concluded. pr
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C03%5C08%5Cstory_8-3-2012_pg7_24
--------
Those who commit
Human Rights abuses cannot preach to Sri Lanka
(By: Shenali
Waduge)
Sri Lanka's delegation
presently at the Geneva sessions of the UN Human Rights Council is facing a
barrage of onslaughts on the theme of "accountability". For a country
that has become the only nation to defeat terrorism and put an end to sporadic
acts of terror with bombs, suicide and assassination this is an achievement no
other nation is likely to achieve. Instead of bouquets Sri Lanka receives
bricks - why because Sri Lanka jerked the happy existence of too many factions
benefiting from the prevalence of terror.
The whole
"accountability" sing song is just a gimmick and a perfect modus
operandi to strike revenge. Yet, given the limitations within our scope we have
done an admirable job from the time the military took up the challenge to
eliminate the LTTE to the present where people do not have to fear terrorism.
Sri Lanka is not going to apologize for succeeding to achieve what the majority
wanted just because it leaves a minority disappointed. Our message to the world
is: First hold LTTE accountable for its crimes & then move on to accusing
Sri Lanka. This is the order of "accountability".
The UNHRC in 2010
issued 228 recommendations on how Washington can address violations. These are
violations that the US is accused of within the US. We cannot even number the
violations that the US is accused of internationally.
The US has yet to
close Guantanamo Bay, US tortures kidnapped foreigners flown in private planes
to Diego Garcia, there are over 2.3m in prison in the US with 3000 facing death
and even children can be sentenced to life in prison. It is a country that is
being run by another nation while in debt to another nation. Sri Lanka was
magnanimous enough to declare that no LTTE child cadre would be sentenced for
taking part in LTTE terror.
Muslims in the US
are being discriminated and arrested on false terror plot accusations. These
are nothing but entrapments. So what has the US done regarding these UNHRC
recommendations & who is monitoring them? Did Ban-ki Moon appoint a 3
member panel to investigate this? Let alone the scores of other invasions
taking place without UN mandate and simply watched by nations all over the
world with only condemnation statements that hardly stops the carnage taking
place.
An America that
used nuclear bombs not once but twice has no moral right to be pointing any
fingers. An America that invades nations simply to secure the corporate
interests of a few Americans are not doing any justice to America or Americans.
An America that has through over 70 covert operations killed more than 10m
people can hardly comment on guestimated civilian figures in Sri Lanka. An
America that has hardly settled any of the millions it has displaced has no
right to be asking for statistics about Sri Lanka's resettlement. An America
that allowed 3 genocides to take place has no moral right to comment & it
is shameful of the other members of the UN to even sit and listen to US
delegations uttering absolute lies or even nodding in approval when US is
talking human rights.
A lesson we can
learn from this silence is that all these nations enjoy watching US bully
countries like Sri Lanka for when such countries fall into a vulnerable
situation internationally & locally the other nations eagle in on countries
like Sri Lanka to advance their own agendas. India is the perfect example.
This is the
situation taking place globally - so can we count on nations to look at Sri
Lanka's situation from a righteous point of view and come to our aid? Hardly,
and the countries that do come forward to speak on behalf of Sri Lanka who say
what they say because they genuinely believe that Sri Lanka has taken
magnanimous steps following the LTTE defeat it is more than commendable and Sri
Lanka salutes the support of these nations.
Table every
allegation against US on the UN floor and ask the US to explain. On the floor
of the UN, every member whether large or small has an equal voice. Let Sri
Lanka be heard.
Yet, how does the
US respond to these allegations - it simply dismisses these recommendations
& calls them political provocations by hostile countries. Its time Sri
Lanka did the same...but then what would be the consequences?
However, before
anyone starts sentencing Sri Lanka we demand to know what accountability the
UN, the UNHRC, the US and all the nations that have banned the LTTE have to say
about LTTE atrocities over 3 decades where openly LTTE front organizations have
been financing terror but the representatives of these organizations are
treated like VIPs and documentaries that are funded by them are even being
nominated for the Noble Peace prize, where documentaries that highlight contradictions,
unverified & unconfirmed allegations suffices over real pictures of attacks
by the LTTE on civilians, unarmed soldiers and enough of war crimes &
crimes against humanity about the LTTE.
Where is the
justice for the people the LTTE have killed over the years? Why is justice for
a terrorist organization like the LTTE taking precedence? First hold LTTE
accountable and then come to all other issues. This is what Sri Lanka demands.
We want to know
what the world will do about the accountability of the LTTE for these crimes.
The LTTE crimes cannot be allowed to get drowned or hidden by purposely
attacking a Government that has every right to take the larger interest of the
country into consideration to end terrorism. It is the right of any country to
protect its citizens - that is what Sri Lanka did.
Human rights cannot
be used as a political football against its enemies who countries term enemies
simply because they want to change its government. Sri Lanka's government must
remember at all times that the present international pressures surrounding Sri
Lanka is primarily because they do not want a Rajapaksa Government to rule Sri
Lanka.
Once international
lobbies determine who they want & do not want there is little point
attempting to make amends or compromises. Thus, it is in the Governments best
interest to win the hearts & minds of the people of the country for their
survival. Saying it simply - there is no point sucking up to these nations and
their representatives - their plan is already laid out. You are either in or
out. The word compromise does not exist in their vocabulary!
http://www.defence.lk/new.asp?fname=20120308_02
----------
Hamid Karzai under
fire on Afghan women's rights
08 Mar 2012
Hamid Karzai's
government is under fire this International Women's Day, accused of selling out
on Afghan women's rights as it tries to woo the Taliban into peace talks.
Politicians, rights
organisations and analysts say that the Afghan leader, by endorsing an edict
calling women second-class citizens, has endangered hard-won progress in
women's rights since the Taliban fell from power in 2001.
The Afghanistan
Human Rights and Democracy Organisation denounced authorities for trying to
strike a balance between receiving foreign aid and "keeping the
conservative forces of Afghan society happy".
"In practice,
the demands of extremist elements residing in the presidential palace,
particularly those in the judicial bodies as well as the Afghan Ulema Council,
always outweigh those of the international community," it said.
Last Friday, the
Council, Afghanistan's highest Islamic authority, issued a non-binding edict saying
that women were worth less than men – a statement released by Mr Karzai's
office and then endorsed by the president on Tuesday.
"Men are
fundamental and women are secondary," it said, adding women should avoid
"mingling with strange men in various social activities such as education,
in bazaars, in offices and other aspects of life".
Such advice
effectively implies that women should not go to university or to work at all,
no matter that in the lower house of parliament, for example, 27 per cent of seats
are reserved for women.
The edict went on
to say that women would wear "full Islamic hijab", should respect
polygamy – Islam allows a man to take up to four wives – and comply with Sharia
law on divorce, which severely restricts women's rights.
It further stated
that "teasing, harassing and beating women" was prohibited
"without a sharia-compliant reason" – leaving open the suggestion
that in some circumstances, domestic abuse is appropriate.
Mr Karzai, who has
formally outlawed violence and discrimination against women, caused
consternation on Tuesday by publicly endorsing the statement, saying that it
"reiterated Islamic principles and values" in supporting women.
In response,
Afghanistan's first deputy speaker, Fawzia Koofi, who was this week listed as
one of the world's "150 Fearless Women" by US website The Daily
Beast, accused the Council of returning women to the dark days of Taliban rule.
"This move by
the Ulema council drives Afghan women rights towards Talibanization," she
told AFP. "Nobody has the right to interfere in women's rights, not even
President Hamid Karzai."
Many women are
increasingly concerned that Mr Karzai's desire to end the Taliban insurgency
through peace talks means that their hard-won rights will be compromised in
order to bring the hardline Islamists into mainstream politics.
"It could be a
message to the Taliban that he could make compromises amending the
constitution," Afghan political analyst Haroun Mir told AFP.
In Kabul and major
cities in Afghanistan, enormous progress has been made in women's rights since
the 2001 US-led invasion brought down the Taliban regime, which banned girls
from going to school and women from working.
Women were whipped
in the street by the religious police if they wore anything other than the all-enveloping
blue or white burka, and those accused of adultery were executed at a sports
stadium after Friday prayers.
(AP Photo/Anja
Niedringhaus)
Since the Taliban
fell, however, the number of girls in education has soared from 5,000 to 2.5
million, according to the government and aid groups.
But in remote areas
where the traditional patriarchal system is very much the norm, life for most
women has barely improved at all.
The case of a woman
named Gulnaz, who does not know her real age but says she is 20 or 21,
attracted worldwide attention when she was jailed for adultery after being
raped by her cousin's husband.
Mr Karzai pardoned
her, and she was released in December after spending two years behind bars, but
faces great social pressure to marry the man who attacked her, to provide
security for her baby and restore her family's honour.
In January, the
president described violence against women as "cowardly" and pledged
to take action against the perpetrators in the wake of a horrific case of the
torture of a child bride, locked in a lavatory for six months.
Heather Barr,
researcher in Afghanistan for Human Rights Watch, said at best Karzai was
giving out mixed messages on women's rights.
"This thing
from the Ulema council is really, really frightening ... because it is about
all women, rather than individual cases," Barr told AFP.
Despite Mr Karzai
signing legislation to eliminate violence and discrimination against women,
implementation is poor to non-existent.
According to aid
group Oxfam, 87 per cent of Afghan women say they have suffered from physical,
sexual or psychological abuse or been forced into an arranged marriage.
Source: AFP
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/afghanistan/9130508/Hamid-Karzai-under-fire-on-Afghan-womens-rights.html
---------
British terrorist
with links to 7/7 'White Widow' was 'captured on bus while disguised as woman'
By STEWART MACLEAN
7th March 2012
A British terror
suspect linked to 7/7 bombs widow Samantha Lewthwaite was arrested in Kenya
while dressed as a woman, a court heard.
Jermaine Grant, 29,
from London, had allegedly disguised himself by wearing a Muslim burqa when he
was held in 2008 as he travelled on a bus in northern Kenya.
A court in Nairobi
heard the suspected bomb plotter was accused of being part of a gang which
attacked a police station on May 31 2008 in the town of Wajir.
Today police
sergeant Kulmia Hamud told how he arrested Grant after fellow bus passengers
informed officers there was a man on board dressed as a woman.
He said: 'I closely
looked at his head and realized he was a man and not a woman.
'I asked him to
identify himself by showing his identity card but he could not respond since he
didn't speak or understand Swahili.'
The court heard
Grant was unarmed when he was arrested on the bus just hours after the remote
police camp was attacked in the northern town.
The British Muslim
convert, who has been linked by police to a terror plot involving 'White Widow'
Lewthwaite, was held alongside two other suspects.
The trio were
suspected of violently attacking the police base to steal firearms and a
vehicle.
The court heard
Grant was held in custody following his arrest at the Dadajabula police camp in
Wajir but escaped just hours later after suspected al-Shabaab militants
attacked the building.
The London-born
suspect disappeared and was not seen again by police until December 20 last
year, when he was arrested as part of a separate probe in the port city of
Mombasa.
The court heard
this morning that he had been charged with violent robbery and escaping justice
over the 2008 incident.
Grant, who has
already been sentenced to a year in prison for entering Kenya illegally, was
led into the Nairobi courtroom in handcuffs.
He then appeared
relaxed as he stood in the dock, wearing a red and blue striped T-shirt.
Speaking afterwards
his lawyer Mbugua Mureithi said he denied the charges against him.
He said: 'It is
alleged that my client was involved in the raid on the police station in Wajir
and that he somehow disguised himself as a woman under a burqa and head scarf.
'The prosecution
claim he then escaped from custody after the police base was attacked.
'However my client
denies all the charges against him in this case.
'He had nothing on
him at the time of his arrest.
'He was not
carrying any weapons, had no money and not even a mobile phone - yet the
prosecution claim he had somehow been involved in this incident earlier that
day.
'My client denies
any involvement and we will continue to fight the case.'
Grant was returned
to custody following this morning's hearing after Nairobi Chief Magistrate
Esther Maina adjourned the trial until April 10 and 11.
The proceedings in
Kenya's capital are running alongside a separate case being heard against Grant
in Mombasa.
The Briton was held
on December 20 during a police raid at a property in the Indian Ocean city.
Detectives have
said Grant was found in possession of bomb-making materials at the time of his
arrest.
He has been charged
with possessing explosives and plotting to launch an attack alongside three Kenyan
fellow suspects, including a woman believed to be his wife.
That matter was
adjourned in February until May when the trial is expected to be heard in
Mombasa.
Kenyan detectives
have said Grant's arrest followed a major anti-terror operation focused on a
group of suspected plotters allegedly linked to the militant Somali group al
Shabaab.
Last week it
emerged officers had launched a major hunt for fellow Briton Lewthwaite, the
widow of 7/7 London bomber Jermaine Lindsay.
Lewthwaite, a
mother of three, was pictured entering Kenya last year and is wanted for
allegedly funding terror networks.
She escaped capture
following a raid on a Mombasa property in December and is believed to be on the
run.
Police this week
said they feared it was possible the Muslim convert could have fled with her
children into neighbouring Somalia.
Metropolitan Police
anti terror officers have flown to Kenya to aid the operation and forensic
experts in Britain are examining evidence linked to both Grant and Lewthwaite.
Today Grant's
lawyer, one of three representing the Briton in his two cases, said he had not
questioned his client about his alleged links to Lewthwaite.
Mr Mureithi, a
respected human rights advocate, said: 'I have not been instructed to deal with
that matter and have had no reason to speak to him about the other British
suspect.'
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2111781/British-terrorist-links-7-7-White-Widow-captured-bus-disguised-woman.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
---------
Indian journalist
arrested over Israel embassy attack
By KANCHAN GUPTA IN
NEW DELHI AND YAAKOV LAPPIN
By Reuters
NEW DELHI –
03/08/12, Delhi Police arrested an Indian journalist, Syed Mohammed Ahmad
Kazmi, a Shi’ite with longstanding Iranian connections, on Tuesday for his
alleged role in facilitating the February 13 bombing of an Israeli Embassy car.
The explosion – in
which Tal Yehoshua Koren, wife of the Israeli defense attache, was injured –
was caused by a “sticky bomb,” which a motorcyclist attached to the car when it
slowed down at a traffic intersection, a short distance from the Indian prime
minister’s residence.
Kazmi, 50,
according to Delhi Police, is a “freelance journalist.”
He runs Media Star
News and Features, an Urdu-language news agency, and is said to be a part-time
employee with an Iranian broadcaster.
According to his
family, he wrote columns for Iranian newspapers and filed reports for the
official Iranian Islamic Republic News Agency.
Senior officials
involved with the investigation said Kazmi was an Urdu news reader with India’s
public broadcaster, Doordarshan. They also disclosed that Kazmi is likely to
have visited the Israeli Embassy. He reported on the Iraq war for a production
house.
“He was a frequent
visitor to Iran since 1983 and has visited several countries in the Middle
East, including Iraq and Syria,” an official close to the investigation said.
Kazmi is reported
to have been picked up by the police on Tuesday night from the sprawling India
Islamic Cultural Center on Lodhi Road, a high profile locality in the heart of
New Delhi and close to the UN’s offices. The police have searched his house and
visited Meerut, a town near Delhi, from where he hails.
He appeared in
court on Wednesday and formally charged under the Unlawful Activities
Prevention Act, a tough anti-terrorism law, for helping the terrorist who
planted the bomb on the car.
Police were granted
custody of Kazmi for 20 days for “custodial interrogation.”
Had the attacks
succeeded on a greater scale, they could have provoked a strong Israeli
response, a senior Israeli security expert said Wednesday.
“What amazes me
about all of these attempts is the fact that one successful attack, one Israeli
embassy blown up, is a casus belli [a incident that justifies war] for a very
strong Israeli response,” Ely Karmon, of the Interdisciplinary Center’s
Institute for Counter-Terrorism, told The Jerusalem Post.
He noted that the
Iranian terror plot centering on Israel’s embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, would
have also harmed the Japanese embassy in the city, which shares its building.
Karmon added that
the arrest of Kazmi fits in with an established Iranian pattern of using locals
while setting up attacks abroad.
“In terms of
characteristics, they set up a local infrastructure using Sunnis or Shi’ites.
They [the Iranians]
don’t care, as long as the job gets done,” he said.
Often, “the serious
operational people” are Iranians or Hezbollah operatives, and arrive briefly in
the designated country to create the explosives before leaving, Karmon said.
Past terror plots
organized by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) have followed
similar patterns in South America, Singapore, Thailand and Indonesia, he added.
Karmon pointed to a
2008 plot to blow up the Israeli embassy in Baku, in which two Lebanese
suspects and four Azerbaijani nationals were arrested. The Lebanese men have
since been sentenced to 15 years behind bars each. Several Iranian, Lebanese
and Azerbaijani members of the terror ring escaped to Iran, he added.
Similarly, in 1999,
an Indonesia terror suspect was arrested in the Philippines, and told
authorities he had been recruited by Hezbollah, together with other Indonesians
and Malaysians. The suspects trained in Lebanon before being dispatched to
attack targets in Australia and Israel.
“This has been
happening again and again since 1983,” Karmon said. In many cases, Lebanese
Shi’ite expatriates are approached for recruitment.
The cases often
involve the IRGC’s elite unit for terror attacks abroad, the Quds Force, Karmon
said.
Karmon said the
latest wave of attacks was an effort to create simultaneous strikes against
Israelis, but was marked by poor operational capabilities, so much so that
Hezbollah distanced itself from them.
The police said
their investigations have led them to believe that the conspiracy to bomb the
Israeli Embassy car was “hatched outside India” and the “possibility of a
foreign hand cannot be ruled out.”
In view of Kazmi’s
known connections, the police are clearly implicating Iran although no formal
statement to that effect has yet been made.
Describing the
bombing as a case of “international terrorism,” the police said Kazmi helped
the bomber conduct a reconnaissance of the area around the Israeli Embassy,
which is located on Aurangzeb Road, off Delhi’s main landmark, India Gate.
“He provided the
bomber with insider information,” a source said, in addition to possibly
sheltering him at his home.
Delhi Police
Commissioner BK Gupta told journalists that a mobile phone and laptop have been
seized from Kazmi. He refrained from providing details of what else the police
have found while searching Kazmi’s house.
Asked if more
arrests were likely, Gupta said: “We have to nab two to three more people.”
Sources said the
black motorcycle used by the bomber, which is believed to have been procured
with Kazmi’s help, has been traced. The police have also found a scooter at his
residence which is said to have been used for the reconnaissance that he
conducted of the area around the Israeli Embassy. It is possible security
camera footage holds evidence of the scooter being used.
After Kazmi
appeared in court, the public prosecutor told the Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate: “He is one of the conspirators of this wider conspiracy.
This is a case of
international terrorism. It is not necessarily that only Indians are involved
in this case and there is a possibility that some foreign nationals might be
involved.”
According to the
public prosecutor, “the conspiracy was hatched outside India.” But he refused
to elaborate, saying: “We have already recorded the statement of the
eyewitnesses to the incident. The conspiracy was hatched outside India. We do
not want to disclose all the information in the open court as the main accused,
who is yet to be arrested, could go out of the reach of the investigating
agency.”
“An IED [improvised
explosive device] was planted for the explosion and this was not an accidental
act. Everything was carried out in a well-planned way. We need 20 days [of]
police custody of the accused to unearth the entire conspiracy.
The investigation
is going on and some more accused are yet to be arrested,” the public
prosecutor said.
Kazmi’s counsel
denied the charges, accused the investigators of “falsely implicating” him and
opposed the custody sought by Delhi Police. His objections were overruled.
The formal arrest
of Kazmi came a day after elections in five Indian states, including Uttar
Pradesh, which is home to a huge Muslim population.
The police are
likely to have kept him under surveillance for many days and monitored his
movements to ensure he did not slip away.
The Indian
government has been hesitant to openly name Iran as a collaborator in the
attack because of crucial oil imports. Tuesday’s arrest comes three days before
an Indian trade delegation leaves for Iran to negotiate methods of circumventing
sanctions.
Meanwhile, police
in Thailand suspect that Thai nationals could also be involved in the plot to
murder Israeli diplomats in the southeast Asian country.
According to a
report from India’s Zeenews website, Bangkok Deputy Police Chief Pansiri Prapawat
confirmed that police are investigating the possible involvement of local Thais
in the triple bombing plot. Prapawat did not provide further details due to the
fact that investigation is ongoing, the report said.
Two Iranian
suspects remain at large and arrest warrants have been issued for them, Thai
authorities said. Three others, including terror suspect Saeid Moradi, who blew
off both of his legs with his own grenade while trying to flee police, are in
Thai custody.
http://www.jpost.com/International/Article.aspx?id=260922
---------
SIMI men now in
social activists’ garb
Srinath Vudali, TNN
HYDERABAD: Mar 8,
2012, State intelligence officials are claiming that several members of the
banned Students Islamic Movement of India ( Simi) have joined the Popular Front
of India (PFI) and that it was this controversial organization that was behind
some recent communal disturbances in the state including last year's Adoni
riots.
The PFI, which shot
into national prominence when two of its members chopped the hand of a Kerala
Christian professor in June 2010 on the charge of blasphemy, claims to be a neo
social movement for a new India for equal rights to all Indians, and is a
confederation of Muslim organizations in India, as stated on its website, and is
active in south India. Formed in November 2006, the PFI includes the Karnataka
Forum for Dignity (KFD), the National Development Front (NDF), and Manitha
Neethi Pasarai (MNP), which are active in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu,
respectively.,
Although PFI claims
to be an organization working for only the socio-economic, cultural and
political empowerment of the deprived and the downtrodden, state intelligence
sources say it is under their scanner for possible militant activities
including terrorism.
Sources in the
police department said PFI is making every effort to win over the Muslim
community in Andhra Pradesh by taking up issues which are emotive and sensitive
to their feelings. Specifically, it is concentrating on rural areas where the
Muslim population is dominant, they said.
"The
activities of PFI are widespread in Rayalaseema, especially in Kurnool
district, where it is incidentally headquartered. Though its presence in
Hyderabad is presently restricted to some pockets like Chandrayangutta and Shivarampalli,
its activities are slowly spreading. However, the backward villages of the
state where Muslim population is dominant is their focus area of operation
where they take up programmes like 'Sarva Siksha Grams' or 'School Chalo'. But
the sole purpose of these activities is to lure Muslim youth towards PFI,"
the sources said.
After the alleged
role of right-wing Hindu activists surfaced in the Mecca Masjid blast, members
of PFI have been suspected of having pasted anonymous posters under the caption
'Save India Day' in Old City, Kurnool, Nellore and Kadapa districts saying that
innocent Muslims were harassed and arrested while the real culprits were
ignored.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/hyderabad/Simi-men-now-in-social-activists-garb/articleshow/12182643.cms
----------
NYPD: Relations
with Muslims in region are strong
NEWARK, N.J. March
8, 12— A New York Police Department spokesman says police ties with the Muslim
community remain strong, in response to a New Jersey FBI official's criticism
that police monitoring of Muslims has damaged the public trust.
NYPD spokesman Paul
Browne says that ongoing relationships with Muslims in the region have led to
the arrest of several suspected terrorists in New Jersey and elsewhere. He says
Ward recently praised two NYPD officers for their help in a New Jersey terror
case.
Michael Ward, agent in charge of the FBI's
Newark division, says Muslims have become less cooperative and distrusting
since learning that police monitored Muslims at businesses and their mosques.
The surveillance was detailed in a series of stories by The Associated Press.
http://www.wral.com/news/national_world/national/story/10826678/
----------
Muslim and African
nations walk out of UN panel on gay rights
Reuters,
guardian.co.uk,
Geneva, 7 March
2012
Muslim and African
countries have walked out of a Human Rights Council panel set up to tackle the
issue of murder and violence against gays and lesbians around the world.
Speaking before the
57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation exited the chamber on Wednesday,
Pakistan described homosexuality as "licentious behaviour" while
African group leader Senegal said it was not covered by global human rights
accords.
Nigeria – where gay
rights groups say there have been many attacks on male and female homosexuals –
claimed none of its citizens were at risk of violence because of sexual
orientation or gender identity, before it too left the chamber.
Mauritania, for the
Arab group, all of whose members are also in the OIC, said attempts to impose
"the controversial topic of sexual orientation" would undermine
discussion in the council of other human rights problems.
The walkout, which
diplomats said not all countries in the Islamic and African groups joined, was
the first by three major blocs in the 47-member council, which has been
dominated until recently by a caucus of developing countries and their allies.
It came after the
UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, and the human rights high commissioner, Navi
Pillay, told the session that gay people should be protected by all
governments.
"We see a
pattern of violence and discrimination directed at people just because they are
gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender," Ban said in a video message to the
panel, chaired by African group dissenter South Africa.
"This is a
monumental tragedy for those affected – and a stain on our collective
conscience. It is also a violation of international law. You, as members of the
Human Rights Council, must respond," the UN chief declared.
Islamic nations and
most African countries have long kept discussion of sexual orientation and
gender identity out of the council, but a strong drive by the United States and
South Africa brought it onto the agenda last June.
Latin American
countries like Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay joined in to push through a narrow
vote to mandate Wednesday's panel and the high commissioner's report.
Pillay, once a
South African high court judge, told the session her life under apartheid had
taught her that "ignorance and bigotry" could only be overcome by
education and frank discussion among people with different views.
In her report she
detailed how homophobia led to abuse, often fatal, around the globe, ranging
from mob killing for males, multiple rape of lesbians "to cure them"
and torture in public and private jails.
The report said 76
countries among the UN's 192 members had laws criminalising homosexual
behaviour. At least five – in particular Iran – implement the death penalty,
while efforts are under way in Uganda to introduce the same punishment.
"I know some
will resist what we are saying," said Pillay, who earlier this week was
accused by Egypt of promoting homosexuality by pressing on with the report
despite the objections of Islamic countries.
In a clear
reference to Islamic and African countries, she said some states would argue
that homosexuality or bisexuality "conflict with local cultural or
traditional values, or with religious teachings, or run counter to public
opinion".
She said that they
were free to hold their opinions, but: "That is as far as it goes. The
balance between tradition and culture, on the one hand, and universal human
rights on the other, must be struck in favour of rights."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/07/muslim-african-nations-un-gay-rights?newsfeed=true
--------
Iran's supreme
leader says Obama comments are 'window
of opportunity'
Reuters,
guardian.co.uk, 8 March 2012
Iran's supreme
leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described comments by the US president,
Barack Obama, about the need to dampen the drumbeat of war as a diplomatic
"window of opportunity", the Iranian state news agency IRNA has
reported.
"We heard two
days ago that the US president said that [they] are not thinking about war with
Iran. These words are good words and an exit from delusion," Khamenei was
quoted as saying.
However, the
supreme leader said Obama had also spoken about "bringing the Iranian
people to their knees through sanctions", adding: "This part of his
comments shows that the illusion continues."
The US and its European
allies have expanded economic sanctions against Iran in an attempt to get it to
rein in its disputed nuclear programme.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/08/iran-obama-comments-window-opportunity
----------
Former US soldier
accused of trying to join Somali terror group, al-Shabaab
Associated Press,
The Guardian, 8 March 2012
Craig Benedict
Baxam indicted on charges of attempting to provide material support to
al-Shabaab
A former US soldier
has been indicted on charges that he tried to join a terrorist organisation in
Somalia.
A federal grand
jury indicted Craig Benedict Baxam on Wednesday on charges of attempting to
provide material support to the al-Shabaab group, which is affiliated with
al-Qaida. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years if convicted.
The 24-year-old
served in the army from 2007 to 2011. He was arrested on a criminal complaint
in January upon returning to the US from Africa.
Prosecutors say
Baxam cashed out his retirement savings and bought a plane ticket to Kenya with
plans of travelling to Somalia and joining al-Shabaab. He was arrested in Kenya
before reaching Somalia.
Baxam's public
defender has said Baxam was naive, impulsive and simply exploring his religion.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/08/us-soldier-accused-somali-terror
---------
Nigeria: Radical
Islamist sect sets another school ablaze amid international watchdog warning
By Associated
Press,
GOMBE, Nigeria —
March 7, 12, A radical Islamist sect blamed for more than 300 killings this
year alone in Nigeria has found a new target for its anti-government rage:
schools.
The sect known as
Boko Haram has set ablaze more than a dozen schools since the beginning of the
year, saying it will continue to target them as it says the government attacks
Islamic schools.
Human Rights Watch
warns the Boko Haram attacks have left thousands of students unable to attend
classes in northeast Nigeria.
“Boko Haram’s
attacks on schools represent a new and reprehensible development since the
group began its campaign of violence in 2009,” Zama Coursen-Neff, the group’s
deputy children’s rights director, said in a statement issued late Tuesday.
“Children and educational institutions should be left alone.”
Another school in
Gombe state, near the sect’s spiritual home in Maiduguri, was set ablaze
overnight. Residents said the school burned in a town near the border with Yobe
state. It was not immediately clear if anyone was injured in the attack and
authorities could not be immediately reached for comment.
Boko Haram’s name
means “Western education is sacrilege” in the local Hausa language. In its
early days, then-leader Mohammed Yusuf railed against the corruption brought by
Western ideals into Nigeria, including sciences.
The sect, thought
to be destroyed after a 2009 riot and security crackdown killed 700 in
Maiduguri, has grown more violent, but many in the region still call it Boko
Haram as Yusuf continually said the phrase while preaching.
Boko Haram has put
up an increasingly bloody sectarian fight against weak Nigeria’s central government
over unavenged Muslim killings in the country, the desire to see Islamic law
enacted and to free its detained members.
The sect is blamed
for killing more than 300 people this year alone. In January, it launched a
coordinated attack on the northern city of Kano that killed at least 185
people. It also claimed responsibility for the August suicide car bombing of
the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria’s capital that killed at least 25
people and wounded more than 100 others.
Attacks blamed on
the sect continued across the north Tuesday and Wednesday. In Yobe state,
police commissioner Tanko Lawan said a village chief and a civilian were killed
in one attack in Bilala. In Konduga in Borno state, police said the sect
destroyed a police station and a church, as well as local government offices.
It was not immediately clear if there were casualties in the Konduga attack.
A military
spokesman said more soldiers would be deployed to Konduga, but some living
there had already begun to flee.
“We could not sleep
in our houses yesterday night after the gunmen came attacking,” resident Mallam
Yahaya said. “My house is near the police station and we saw many policemen
injured. ... One of my cousins was shot by (a) stray bullet. We are in real
dilemma here.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/islamist-sect-suspected-in-killings-of-customs-official-5-others-in-nigeria/2012/03/06/gIQAGoBQvR_story.html
---------
Pak President vows
to emancipate, empower Pakistani women
ISLAMABAD, March
08, 2012: President Asif Ali Zardari while, highlighting the struggle of
thePakistan People’s Party (PPP) in the promotion of women’s rights, has
reiterated the government's commitment to emancipate and empower the country's
women.
President Zardari
in his message on International Women’s Day being observed today (Thursday)
said, "The promotion of women's rights is part of the history of the
struggle of Pakistan People’s Party. As the first woman ever elected to head an
Islamic nation, our leader Benazir Bhutto felt a special responsibility to
address issues relating to women."
He said, "On
International Day for Women today I wish to compliment the women in general and
the women of Pakistan in particular for their struggle for their rights on the
one hand and reiterate the commitment of the government of Pakistan to
emancipate and empower women of the country."
The president said,
"In the West, the women's liberation movement began in the 20th century.
In the Islamic world, the women's rights movement is as old as Islam itself although,
unfortunately, one would not know this when looking at our society."
"The task
before us all, especially the PPP, is to restore them in our society and end
discrimination and violence against women once and for all," he added.
The president said
it was this vision of the PPP leaders that the government of Zulfikar Ali
Bhutto appointed women for the first time in the subordinate judiciary and the
police force.
"The
subsequent PPP governments appointed women to the high courts and created
special family courts headed by women judges and special women's police force
to investigate crimes against women. We did not want women facing shame in
having to relate to men the violence they may have been subjected to," he
added.
Zadari said,
"For the first time in our history we have, under the present government,
a woman speaker, a woman as foreign minister and a woman as our Ambassador to
the United States. We have a separate ombudsperson for women."
He said a number of
far-reaching legislative measures had been adopted during the last four years
to address issues relating to women and to empower them.
"The measures
include protecting women from harassment at workplace, preventing acid attacks,
discouraging anti-women practices, creation of a fund for women in distress and
detention and legislation to punish several offenses against women, including
depriving them from inheritance and forced marriage," he added.
President Zardari
said, "Most recently the National Commission on Status of Women was
enacted into an empowered, independent and autonomous body to protect the
social, economic, political and legal rights of women," adding, the job
quota for women in government services had been increased to 10 percent.
He said, "We
live in an age of terrorism where human life seems to have lost value. But we
do not accept such a world where humans are disposable statistics. For us each
human life is precious."
"The PPP
believes that one of the best methods to confront terrorism is to raise the
status of women. When opportunities for women flourish, extremism
withers," he added.
The president
further said, "On the eve of International Women’s Day, therefore, I once
again compliment the women and assure them of the fullest support in their just
struggle for rights."
Meanwhile, Prime
Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani also expressed the resolve of the federal
government to extend its support to provinces in their endeavours to protect
and promote women's rights in all walks of life.
In a message on
International Women's Day, the prime minister said the democratic government
was committed to implementing Benazir Bhutto's vision for empowerment of women
in its true spirit.
PM Gilani said
Benazir Bhutto is a powerful symbol of women’s empowerment. The cause of
women’s empowerment was close to her heart and she spent her entire life
working for attainment of their rights. app
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C03%5C08%5Cstory_8-3-2012_pg7_21
--------
Iran: New report
finds surge in repression of dissent
28 February 2012
Iran’s crackdown on
freedom of expression has dramatically escalated in the run up to this week’s
parliamentary elections, Amnesty International said today.
The 71-page “We are
ordered to crush you”: Expanding Repression of Dissent in Iran details how, in
the wake of protests called by opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi
Karroubi in February 2011, the Iranian authorities have steadily cranked up
repression of dissent in law and practice, launching a wave of arrests in
recent months.
Amnesty
International said the continuing crackdown laid bare the hollowness of Iran’s
claims to support protests in the Middle East and North Africa.
“In Iran today you
put yourself at risk if you do anything that might fall outside the
increasingly narrow confines of what the authorities deem socially or
politically acceptable,” said Ann Harrison, Interim Deputy Director of Amnesty
International’s Middle East and North Africa Programme.
“Anything from
setting up a social group on the internet, forming or joining an NGO, or
expressing your opposition to the status quo can land you in prison.”
“This dreadful
record really highlights the hypocrisy of the Iranian government's attempts to
show solidarity with protesters in Egypt, Bahrain and other countries in the
region.”
The report finds
that in recent months a wave of arrests has targeted a range of groups, including
lawyers, students, journalists, political activists and their relatives,
religious and ethnic minorities, filmmakers, and people with international
connections, particularly to media.
Opposition leaders
Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi – defeated presidential candidates in
the 2009 election – have been under de facto house arrest since February 2011.
While Mehdi Karroubi’s wife was released in July 2011, Zahra Rahnavard, Mir
Hossein Mousavi’s wife, remains under house arrest with her husband.
In the run-up to
parliamentary elections on 2 March, the situation has worsened.
The clampdown has
targeted electronic media, seen by the authorities as a major threat. In
January a senior police officer said Google was an “espionage tool”, not a
search engine. The same month, the recently established Cyber Police required
owners of internet cafés to install CCTV and to register the identity of users
before allowing them to use computers.
Blogger Mehdi
Khazali was this month sentenced to four and a half years in prison, followed
by 10 years in “internal exile”, and a fine on charges believed to include
“spreading propaganda against the system” “gathering and colluding against
national security,” and “insulting officials.” It is not clear whether his
“internal exile” will in fact be served in prison.
Having been
originally charged in 2011 and released on bail, he was arrested again in
January. He is being held in Tehran’s Evin Prison, where he has been on hunger
strike for more than 40 days in protest at his detention, raising fears for his
health.
Harassment, arrest
and imprisonment of human rights defenders, including women’s rights groups,
has also intensified and several NGOs have been shut down.
Abdolfattah
Soltani, a founder member of the Centre for Human Rights Defenders, was
arrested in September and is held in Evin Prison awaiting the outcome of his
trial on charges which include his acceptance of an international human rights
prize. He has been threatened with a 20-year sentence.
The pressure on
independent voices has extended to those outside Iran.
Earlier this month,
the BBC said family members of its Persian language service had been subjected
to harassment, including one who was arrested in January and held in solitary
confinement and others whose passports were confiscated.
Amnesty International
said the attacks on dissenting views come against a backdrop of a worsening
overall human rights situation in Iran.
There were around
four times as many public executions in 2011 as in 2010, a practice that
Amnesty International said was used by the authorities to strike fear into
society.
Hundreds of people
are believed to have been sentenced to death in the past year, mainly for
alleged drugs offences. Iran continues to execute juvenile offenders – a
practice strictly prohibited under international law.
Amnesty
International called on the international community not to allow tensions over
Iran’s nuclear programme or events in the wider region to distract it from
pressing Iran to live up to its human rights obligations.
The organization
specifically urged the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the
Special Rapporteur on Iran in March.
"For Iranians
facing this level of repression, it can be dispiriting that discussions about
their country in diplomatic circles can seem to focus mainly on the nuclear
programme at the expense of human rights," said Ann Harrison.
"Countries
dealing with the Iranian government cannot neglect their responsibilities to
Iran's brave rights defenders, trade unionists, minorities and
journalists."
http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/iran-new-report-finds-surge-repression-dissent-2012-02-28-0
-------
J&K Hurriyat
Leader demands arrest of Praveen Togadia for anti-Islam remarks
PTI
SRINAGAR: Mar 8,
2012, Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani demanded arrested of VHP leader
Praveen Togadia for his alleged anti-Islam remarks during his visit to Rajouri
area of Jammu and Kashmir.
"Geelani has
condemned the anti-Islam utterances of Togadia and demanded his immediate
arrest," a spokesman of the amalgam said in a statement.
Geelani also called
for raising "voice in protest" against the remarks of Togadia during
Friday prayers in mosques at Doda, Rajouri, Poonch and Kishtwar.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Syed-Ali-Shah-Geelani-demands-arrest-of-Praveen-Togadia-for-anti-Islam-remarks/articleshow/12187745.cms
--------
4th WUC General
Assembly and 6th Leadership Training Seminar to be held in Tokyo
Press Release
8 March 2012
The World Uyghur
Congress (WUC) is pleased to announce that in May 2012, WUC´s 4th General
Assembly (14 – 17 May), as well as the 6th Leadership training Seminar (18 – 20
May) will be held in Tokyo, Japan. The WUC expects around 100 Uyghur delegates
from around the world to attend both events. Leaders of different Japanese
political parties, Members of Parliament, and government officials as well as
the representatives of international human rights organizations will be invited
to the Opening Ceremony.
The Opening
Ceremony will take place on 14 May at the Japanese Parliament and is open to
the public.
During the 4th WUC
General Assembly, the new WUC leadership will be elected by the delegates and
the WUC activity and financial reports will be discussed. Delegates will
further develop the working strategy to raise the Uyghur legitimate cause for
freedom and democracy in the international fora.
The two and a half
days Leadership Training Seminar, tailored to the members of the Uyghur
diaspora, will be jointly organised by the WUC and the Japanese Uyghur
Association (JUA), with the kind support by a grant from the National Endowment
for Democracy (NED). The training seminar will reinforce and build on past
training workshops, and provide the Uyghur community with the knowledge and
capacity necessary to raise awareness of the Uyghur issue outside of China.
This year´s seminar will also focus on training participants on how to use new
media to build social networks and to improve Internet security. Experienced activists,
both from the Uyghur community and other invited guests from the wider NGO
community, will lead the workshop sessions. The WUC will invite journalists,
bloggers, and website managers to discuss the issues of new media and Internet
security.
Since 2007, the
World Uyghur Congress has annually organized one Leadership Training Seminar
with the sponsorship of NED and in collaboration with UNPO (Unrepresented
Nations and Peoples Organization) in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, the US,
and Australia.
----------
Pakistani Taliban
in talks to heal rift: Sources
AFP
Peshawar, March 8,
2012, Pakistani Taliban commanders are locked in talks, trying to heal a
damaging rift that has inflamed tensions over whether to pursue peace efforts
with the government, insiders say.
After months of
relative calm, bomb and suicide attacks are again hitting Pakistan's northwest,
raising fears that militants are again on the offensive despite reports late
last year that commanders were exploring peace contacts.
"The one-point
agenda is how to adopt a uniform policy," a Taliban commander told media
from an undisclosed location on condition of anonymity.
The umbrella
Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is a loose confederation of rival commanders.
Divisions first came to the fore after founder Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a
US drone strike in August 2009.
The young and
radical Hakimullah Mehsud – a clan relation to Baitullah – ultimately won a
leadership battle, pushing the TTP closer to Al-Qaeda and overseeing some of
Pakistan's bloodiest gun and suicide attacks yet.
Mullah Omar, the
Afghan Taliban supreme leader, reportedly asked TTP commanders to stop attacks
as his movement explores confidence-building talks with the Americans at the
start of a nascent peace process in Afghanistan.
The only TTP
commander who refused to comply was Hakimullah Mehsud, putting him at odds with
his arch-rival, the older and more measured Wali-ur Rehman, sources say.
Differences
appeared to bubble over Sunday with the sacking of Mehsud's deputy, Maulvi
Faqir Mohammad, who is considered close to Rehman, at a TTP meeting.
"Dialogue with
Pakistan is a secondary issue. First, we're trying to end our disputes and
after that we will decide on holding talks with Pakistan," the Taliban
commander said.
"There are
serious differences between Hakimullah Mehsud and Wali-ur Rehman which
everybody wants to end," he added.
The TTP leadership
has held several meetings with representatives from the Afghan Taliban and
Afghanistan's militant Haqqani network to try to unite, but commanders are
constantly on the move, worried about US drone missiles.
"Several
rounds of talks have taken place but commanders can't sit together in one place
for long as they fear drone strikes," another source said.
Experts are divided
over the significance of Mohammad's sacking with the government and former
officials convinced that the TTP is now weaker than ever, hit hard by the US
drone strikes and by Pakistani military offensives.
"Hakimullah
Mehsud has his group with its own weight but TTP commanders are scattered. Some
are in Afghanistan, some in the tribal areas. There is a lack of
communication," said Mehmud Shah, a former tribal belt security chief.
"There are
commanders who aren't listening to Mehsud... The shura (meeting) of some of its
leaders is just to show their importance. The TTP structure is broken and they
are making efforts to rebuild it and remove difference," he added.
Mohammad has
insisted that he initiated peace contacts in Bajaur, his home district and one
of seven in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt, with the full knowledge of
Mehsud's TTP leadership as a ‘test case’.
"They told me
that first the peace process should take place in Bajaur and then be
expanded," he told the media by telephone.
Malik Sultan Zeb,
an elder in the Mamund tribe in Bajaur, said tribesmen were keen to cut a deal
with the TTP provided that the militants were willing to stop attacks.
"America is
holding peace talks with (Afghanistan's) Taliban and we also want to have peace
talks with the militants," he said.
A Pakistani
security official, speaking on condition of anonymity and saying his
information was based on informants, said the message to unite came from Mullah
Omar in December.
"He sent a
message saying, peace in Pakistan is imperative for us," the official
said.
"Hakimullah
Mehsud is still reluctant about various issues, but intermediaries from
Afghanistan are trying to solve the rifts," he said.
http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/world/asia/pakistani-taliban-talks-heal-rift-sources-317
---------
Pakistan in
terrorism frontline, says Pakistan P M
Thu, 8 Mar 201
Despite a hostile
judiciary, a fractious military and long-running tensions with neighbouring
India, Pakistan's Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani believes the biggest threat
facing his country stems from extremism and terrorism.
Strategically,
Pakistan - which borders Afghanistan - is "a frontline state fighting war
on extremism and terrorism", the Prime Minister told Australia Network's
Newsline. "Because of the geographical situation the biggest challenge is
extremism and terrorism."
While Pakistan was
engaged in this fight, the Prime Minister told Jim Middleton in a wide-ranging
interview, he criticised the increasing use of drone strikes by the United
States to combat militants in the country.
He said the strikes
show no respect for the people of Pakistan and are a violation of the country's
sovereignty
Sovereignty
It should be up to
Pakistan to take action inside its borders.
"Whether they
are successful or not successful is beside the point. The matter is of the
sovereignty of the country."
The Prime Minister
also said: "There should be more credible and actionable information
passed on to Pakistan. We can act (for) our own selves."
As for Pakistan's
nuclear program, he said it was "in safe hands" and had a "very
good command and control system".
Mr Gilani noted
that India has won access to Australian uranium sales, and said that was a
matter for the two countries involved.
However, he said he
had raised in international forums the need to ensure a balance in the region
shared by India and Pakistan.
http://www.radioaustralianews.net.au/stories/201203/3448265.htm?desktop
--------
Pakistani Christian
victim of Muslim-Christian leader’s conspiracey
London: March 7,
2012. (PCP) “Pakistani Christian are disappointed on speech of Prime Minister
of Pakistan Mr. Yousaf Raza Gillani on 1st anniversary of slain Pakistani
minister Shahbaz Bhatti at Islamabad Convention Center organized by All
Pakistan Minorities alliance because he failed to announce any action to arrest
killers of a Christian minister in his cabinet” said Dr. Nazir S Bhatti,
President of Pakistan Christian Congress PCC and Editor of Pakistan Christian
Post PCP in a London based television channel “Glory TV” in its popular program
“Awam Show with Taskeen Khan” on March 6, 2012.
In response to a
question by anchor Taskeen Khan about All Pakistan Minorities Alliance APMA,
PCC Chief Nazir Bhatti said “Paul Bhatti, Advisor to Prime Minister of Pakistan
on National Harmony Ministry is not a political worker and new in political
arena, so, he will not like to comment on his role as a leader of APMA and as a
Christian leader because he replaced his slain brother in cabinet on our
demands to comfort the grieved family after assassination but he have proved to
be not capable leader on refraining from demands to ensure justice for his
brothers murder”
Commenting on one
seat of Christians in recent elections of Senate of Pakistan, Nazir Bhatti
clarified that representation of minorities in Senate of Pakistan was an
outstanding demand of Christians not only demand of Shahbaz Bhatti but it was
legislated by PPP government when Shahbaz Bhatti was federal minority minister
in this government. It was responsibility of Shahbaz Bhatti to press upon
government to distribute allocated 4 seats among religious communities
proportional to population which he ignored and as a result the number one
minority of Christians has one seat in Senate while they deserved three seats.
In Awam show with
Taskeen Khan, Mr. Parvez Rafiq member Punjab Assembly and founder member of All
Pakistan Minorities Alliance APMA surprised viewers when he revealed that
Punjab police attempted to stop him to participate in memorial service of
Shahbaz Bhatti in his native village Khushpur on March 4, 2012. He said that
DPO Faisalabad threatened him of arrest but when anchor Taskeen Khan questioned
that Punjab Law Minister Sanaa Ullaha has said that Paul Bhatti, brother of
Martyr Shahbaz Bhatti asked Faisalabad police to stop you from attending
memorial service, Mr. Rafiq said that he have filed a motion in Punjab Assembly
in this regard.
Nazir Bhatti said
that if Pakistan people Party leader President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari had
sympathy with Christians he might have selected any Christian Senator from KPK
or Balochistan but PPP not gave due consideration to biggest Christian minority
of Pakistan.
In Awam Show of
Glory TV, Nazir Bhatti said that at present there is no Christian member from
PPP neither in National Assembly of Pakistan nor in Senate of Pakistan.
http://www.pakistanchristianpost.com/headlinenewsd.php?hnewsid=3370
---------
'Curry makes our
children grow up faster': Pakistan authorities
By NICK ENOCH
7th March 2012
A change in law
that would allow the criminal age of responsibility in Pakistan to be raised
from seven to 12 has been hindered by authorities who claim it is
unnecessary... because of curry.
Raising the age to
12 would adhere with United Nations guidelines - and the move has frustrated
politicians keen to see a bill passed to that effect.
The Minister of the
Interior said that the nation's children grow up more quickly than in other
countries due to the hot climate and spicy food
The bill - which
was drafted three years ago - would also make child pornography, child
trafficking and sexual abuse illegal for the first time.
But a string of
objections has meant it has not yet had official approval.
Mustafa Nawaz
Khokhar, head of the Ministry of Human Rights, said Pakistan could be subjected
to international sanctions if it failed to raise the minimum age for
prosecutions.
'Not only are we
trying to raise the age of criminal liability, but we are also trying to
introduce legislation to outlaw child pornography, trafficking and abuse which
doesn't exist in Pakistan at the moment.'
He added that the
legislation was being obstructed due to 'an unscientific theory that children
here mature faster'.
The Ministry of Law
and Justice said that sharia law views children as adults when they reach
puberty.
And since this
onset varied depending on various factors, it would prove impossible to raise
the age of criminal responsibility.
In a written
submission, the ministry stated: 'It can be well understood that attainment of
maturity of understanding depends on social, economic, climatic, dietary and
environmental factors.
'That's why a child
in our subcontinent starts understanding nature and consequences of his/her
conduct much earlier than a child in the west specially because of general
poverty, hot climate, exotic and spicy food which contribute towards speedy
physical and mental growth of the child.'
The ministry also
claimed that raising the age would enable young, would-be suicide bombers to
avoid punishment.
Mr Khokhar has
urged Rehman Malik, the Interior Minister, to reconsider the proposals.
He said: 'These
very young children are victims and should not be treated as criminals. We have
rehabilitation centres for them.'
No one from the
Interior Ministry was available for comment.
JJSO - a step in
the right direction
Despite the
struggle for better rights for children, there have been some advances in
juvenile justice in recent years.
One such step is
the 2000 Juvenile Justice System Ordinance.
Among other
provisions, the JJSO prohibits for the first time labour during imprisonment,
corporal punishment in police custody, arrest under preventive laws, the use of
fetters and handcuffs, and the death penalty for children.
Other positive
developments resulting from the JJSO include: many jails have designated
separate cells for children so as to avoid detention with adults; some
child-specific juvenile justice institutions have been created; national NGOs
have expanded legal assistance schemes to children; and the government is
giving greater consideration to ways to improve the problem of high numbers of
children detained while under trial.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2111589/Pakistan-minister-cites-spicy-food-reason-block-plans-raise-criminal-age-responsibility-12.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
--------
Pakistan possesses
up to 110 nuclear weapons, report says
PTI
ISLAMABAD: Mar 7,
2012, Pakistan possessed up to 110 nuclear weapons and spent a whopping $2.2
billion on its atomic arsenal last year, claims a report by an international
NGO, prompting Islamabad to call it "highly exaggerated".
In the report
titled "Don't bank on the bomb", the International Campaign to
Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) said that Pakistan had between 90 and 110
nuclear weapons. "Its arsenal has grown substantially in recent years,
from 60 to 80 nuclear weapons in 2008," it said.
The report, issued
this week, quoted sources as saying that Pakistan intended to double its
arsenal in the next five to 10 years with the goal of having up to 350 weapons
of varying yield. It further said Pakistan spent an estimated $2.2 billion on
its nuclear weapons programme last year, up from $1.8 billion in 2010.
"Expenditure
is projected to increase substantially due to maintenance costs for its new
plutonium infrastructure," the report said. Reacting to the report,
Pakistan's Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said it was "highly
exaggerated and part of an insidious propaganda campaign."
"Pakistan's strategic programme was modest (and) aimed at maintaining a
credible minimum deterrence to ensure national security," Basit said.
He said Pakistan's
primary focus was on economic development and the welfare of its people.
"Pakistan was
opposed to an arms race in South Asian or in any other part of the world,"
he said.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/Pakistan-possesses-up-to-110-nuclear-weapons-report-says/articleshow/12176750.cms
---------
GCC investing in
food security in Pakistan, India and others
DUBAI: March 08,
2012, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) governments are investing heavily in outside
farmland acquisitions and leases, along with injecting money in domestic food
production industry, to secure food supplies to the region and safeguard
against market fluctuations.
Leading the way is
Saudi Arabia, which is currently investing $23.1 billion in food security
initiatives such as allocation of $12.3 billion to food processing sector
development and provision of $6 billion in financial and oil aid to Pakistan in
return for agricultural land.
UAE recently
acquired or leased more than 1.4 million hectares of arable land in Pakistan,
Sudan and Morocco, while investing $1.4 billion in the country’s value-added
food manufacturing sector, resulting in 150 food processing plants. Figures
were collated by research analysts Alpen Capital in build up to AGRA Middle
East from April 2-4 at Dubai International Conference and Exhibition Centre.
Region’s largest agriculture business trade event, AGRA Middle East will host
over 180 international manufacturers, suppliers of agribusiness equipment and
technology from 30 countries including Pakistan to showcase their products to
importers, buyers and officials from across Middle East.
As part of plans to
be completely self-sufficient by 2023, Qatar invested $5.1 billion in food
security initiatives, including leasing 400,000 hectares of land in Kenya
against $3.5 billion loan to Kenyan government, and setting up $1 billion joint
venture with Vietnam to provide 90 percent funds for investment in various
sectors, including agriculture. Ensuring food security remains one of most
important issues for all GCC countries; according to Economist Intelligence
Unit, six GCC states currently import 90 percent of all food products. High
reliance on imports means the region is particularly vulnerable to price
increases when supplies are interrupted. ppi
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C03%5C08%5Cstory_8-3-2012_pg5_12
----------
UK aid launches
grant funds for education in Pakistan
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: March
08, 2012, The launch ceremony of a new education programme in Pakistan called
‘Ilm Ideas’, funded by UKaid from the British Department for International
Development (DFID) was held on Wednesday. ‘Ilm Ideas’ is about nurturing ideas
that work to improve learning, support progression and make schools responsive
to what parents and children want.
Speaking at the
event, UK High Commissioner Adam Thomson said that education is the UK’s top
priority in Pakistan. He said two grant funds in support of the education
sector in Pakistann sought to harness the creativity of the country’s
entrepreneurs and private sector, the energy of citizens and civil society, and
the experience and commitment of the governmental sector to improve access,
learning and responsiveness of the system to what parents and children want.
The £6.3 million
Education Voice and Accountability Fund and the Education Innovation Fund
invite grant applications from organisations and entrepreneurs across the
country. The two funds are part of a £645 million commitment for education in
Pakistan from Ukaid.
The Education Voice
and Accountability Fund will support research and advocacy initiatives to
foster greater public demand for accountability and transparency in the
education sector.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012%5C03%5C08%5Cstory_8-3-2012_pg7_16
--------
Syria's deputy oil
minister defects from Assad regime
Reuters,
guardian.co.uk,
Amman 8 March 2012,
Syria's deputy oil minister, Abdo Hussameldin, has announced his defection on
YouTube, becoming the first high ranking civilian official to abandon President
Bashar al-Assad since the uprising against his rule erupted a year ago.
"I Abdo
Hussameldin, deputy oil and mineral wealth minister in Syria, announce my
defection from the regime, resignation from my position and withdrawal from the
Ba'ath party. I join the revolution of this dignified people," Hussameldin
said in a YouTube video uploaded on Wednesday and seen early on Thursday.
"I say to this
regime: you have inflicted on those who you claim are your people a whole year
of sorrow and sadness, denying them basic life and humanity and driving Syria
to the edge of the abyss," he said, adding the country's economy was
"near collapse".
The authenticity of
the video, which was taken at an undisclosed location, could not be immediately
confirmed.
Assad appointed
Hussameldin, 58, to his position through a presidential decree in 2009.
Wearing a suit and
tie, Hussameldin looked relaxed as he stared directly into the camera in a
tight head and shoulders shot, appearing to read from a prepared statement on
his lap as he sat on a dark grey chair against a yellow background.
"I have been
in government for 33 years. I did not want to end my career serving the crimes
of this regime. I have preferred to do what is right although I know that this
regime will burn my house and persecute my family," he said.
The government,
which is controlled by Assad's minority Alawite sect, which has dominated power
in Syria for the past five decades, has effectively stopped functioning in
provinces that have been at the forefront of the uprising, such as Homs and the
north-west province of Idlib, opposition sources say.
But public
defections have remained rare among the civilian branches of the state. Assad's
opponents attribute this to the tight control of the secret police and the fear
of retribution against the families of any would-be defectors.
They point to what
they say are several killings by Assad's forces of family members of high
profile defectors from the military.
Thousands of mostly
Sunni soldiers and conscripts, who make the bulk of the army, have deserted
since the uprising broke out last March, with more officers deserting in the
past months, although Assad still retains control of the main forces.
In late August,
Muhammad al-Bakkour, the attorney general of the province of Hama declared on
YouTube he had resigned in protest against the suppression of street
demonstrations and the storming of the city of Hama by tanks.
Bakkour has not
been heard from since and some opposition sources say the video was made under
pressure from rebels.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/08/syria-deputy-oil-minister-defects-assad-regime
--------
Israel concerned
about shift in status quo in Muslim world: Velayati
TEHRAN, 08 March
2012 – Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior
advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader, has said that the Zionist regime is making
efforts to plunge Syria into turmoil because it is concerned about the fact
that the status quo in the Muslim world is changing in favor of Muslims.
Velayati, who
formerly served as Iran’s foreign minister, made the remarks in Tehran on
Wednesday during a speech at the two-day meeting of the Assembly of Experts,
which opened on Sunday.
In his speech, he
said that certain Arab countries have joined in the efforts to isolate the
government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and destabilize the country.
Velayati, who is
the director of the Permanent Secretariat of the World Assembly of the Islamic
Awakening, added that the Islamic Awakening occurring in the region have put
the Zionist regime in a quandary.
At the end of the
meeting, a statement was issued, in which the members of the Assembly of
Experts wrote that the people should heed the Leader’s advice.
http://tehrantimes.com/politics/96193-israel-concerned-about-shift-in-status-quo-in-muslim-world-velayati
---------
Indonesia wants to
join BRICS
Mar 7, 2012
Indonesia plans to
join BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), the country’s
Ambassador to Russia stated on Wednesday. He emphasized Russia’s role on the
global arena and the importance of the organization.
Indonesia which is
the fourth most populated country in the world may expand BRICS’ influence both
to Southeast Asia and the Islamic world as it’s one of the key members of the
Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
BRICS countries’
territory equals 40% of the globe and
its joint GDP accounted for 18% of the global one in 2012.
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_03_07/67843321/
---------
US diplomat denies
threats to Pakistan over IP gas line
ISLAMABAD: Dispelling
the impression of US threat of sanctions on Pakistan over IP gas pipeline, US
Deputy Chief of Mission Richard Hoagland Wednesday said that urge for gas is
legitimate demand of Pakistan and the US is ready to help the country.
“The US has never
threatened Pakistan with sanctions, Iran-Pakistan project is not a matter going
to be implemented within a week or a month. We are ready to work with Pakistan
on different options to help,” he told the media at the sideline of a
roundtable discussion to commemorate ‘the services of women in law enforcement
agencies’.
US Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton last week warned Pakistan of sanctions if it pursued the
IP gas pipeline.
The State
Department spokesperson later said Clinton had not threatened Pakistan.
Prime Minister Syed
Yusuf Raza Gilani and Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar had rejected the
threats, saying that Pakistan will not accept any pressure on the gas pipeline
and relations with Iran.
“Sanctions were
invoked against Iran,” the American diplomat said, adding that the US wants to
help in resolving Pakistan’s energy crises.
When asked if the
US Ambassador in Islamabad has delivered any special message to Pakistan over
NATO supply, Hoagland said, “I assure there was no message.”
Replying to a
question about the expiry of US agreements with Pakistan and Washington demands
for further five-year extension, the veteran diplomat did not directly reply to
the question, but he said that the issue will be discussed during the upcoming
visit to Pakistan by Gen. James Mattis. He said that dates for the visit of Gen
Mattis have not yet been announced.
He said the issues
will be discussed during Gen. Mattis meeting with Pakistan army chief General
Ishfaq Parvez Kayani.
Visits of the US
special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Marc Grossman as well as Gen. Mattis
were postponed after Islamabad sought a delay due to parliamentary review of
future relationship with the US.
On policy toward
Afghanistan, the US diplomat said that in fact the US and Pakistan are on same
page. Like Pakistan, his country is also supporting Afghan-led and Afghan-owned
reconciliation process in Afghanistan, the deputy chief said.
http://www.onlinenews.com.pk/details.php?id=189977
---------
In bin Laden's
lair, his wives split by suspicions
By KATHY GANNON,
Associated Press
RAWALPINDI,
Pakistan (AP) March 8, 12 — Osama bin Laden spent his last weeks in a house
divided, amid wives riven by suspicions. On the top floor, sharing his bedroom,
was his youngest wife and favorite. The trouble came when his eldest wife
showed up and moved into the bedroom on the floor below.
Others in the
family, crammed into the three-story villa compound where bin Laden would
eventually be killed in a May 2 U.S. raid, were convinced that the eldest wife
intended to betray the al-Qaida leader.
The picture of bin
Laden's life in the Abbottabad compound comes from Brig. Shaukat Qadir, a
retired Pakistani army officer who spent months researching the events and says
he was given rare access to transcripts of Pakistani intelligence's
interrogation of bin Laden's youngest wife, who was detained in the raid.
Qadir was also
given rare entry into the villa, which was sealed after the raid and demolished
last month. Pictures he took, which he allowed The Associated Press to see,
showed the villa's main staircase, splattered with blood. Other pictures show
windows protected by iron grills and the 20-foot high walls around the villa.
Qadir's research
gives one of the most extensive descriptions of the arrangements in bin Laden's
hideout when U.S. SEAL commandos stormed in, killing bin Laden and four others.
His account is based on accounts by an official of Pakistan's Inter-Services
Intelligence agency who escorted him on a tour of the villa, the interrogation
transcription he was allowed to read, and interviews with other ISI officials
and al-Qaida-linked militants and tribesmen in the Afghan-Pakistan border
region.
The compound where
bin Laden lived since mid-2005 was a crowded place, with 28 residents —
including bin Laden, his three wives, eight of his children and five of his
grandchildren. The bin Laden children ranged in age from his 24-year-old son
Khaled, who was killed in the raid, to a 3-year-old born during their time in
Abbottabad. Bin Laden's courier, the courier's brother and their wives and
children also lived in the compound.
The 54-year-old bin
Laden himself seemed aged beyond his years, with suspected kidney or stomach
diseases, and there were worries over his mental health, Qadir said he was told
by ISI officials and an al-Qaida member he interviewed in the border regions.
Bin Laden lived and
died on the third floor. One room he shared with his youngest wife, Amal Ahmed
Abdel-Fatah al-Sada, a Yemeni who was 19 when she married the al-Qaida leader
in 1999. Another wife, Siham Saber, lived in another room on the same floor
that also served as a computer room, Qadir told AP.
The arrival of his
eldest wife, Saudi-born Khairiah Saber, in early 2011 stirred up the household,
Amal said in her ISI interrogation, according to Qadir.
There was already
bad blood between Khairiah, who married bin Laden in the late 1980s, and Amal
because of bin Laden's favoritism for the younger Yemeni woman, Qadir said he
was told by tribal leaders who knew the family.
Even ISI officials
who questioned Khairiah after the raid were daunted by her.
"She is so
aggressive that she borders on being intimidating," Qadir said he was told
by an ISI interrogator.
Amal stayed close
to bin Laden as he fled Afghanistan into Pakistan following the 2001 U.S.
invasion. She took an active role in arranging protection for him and bin Laden
wanted her by his side, the tribal leaders told Qadir.
Khairiah fled
Afghanistan in 2001 into Iran along with other bin Laden relatives and al-Qaida
figures. She and others were held under house arrest in Iran until 2010, when
Tehran let them leave in a swap for an Iranian diplomat kidnapped in Pakistan's
frontier city of Peshawar.
Khairiah showed up
at Abbottabad in February or March 2011 and moved into the villa's second floor,
Amal told her interrogators.
Khalid, bin Laden's
son with Siham, was suspicious, according to Amal's account. He repeatedly
asked Khairiah why she had come. At one point, she told him, "I have one
final duty to perform for my husband." Khalid immediately told his father
what she had said and warned that she intended to betray him.
Amal, who shared
Khalid's fears, said bin Laden was also suspicious but was unconcerned, acting
as if fate would decide, according to Qadir's recounting of the interrogation transcript.
There is no
evidence Khairiah had any role in bin Laden's end. Accounts by Pakistani and
U.S. intelligence officials since the May 2 raid have made no mention of her.
Instead, U.S. officials have said the courier inadvertently led the CIA to the
Abbottabad villa after they uncovered him in a monitored phone call.
The courier, a
Pakistani known by his pseudonym Abu Ahmed al-Kuwaiti, lived with his wife and
four children on the villa's first floor. His brother, his wife and three
children lived in a guest house in the compound. Al-Kuwaiti, his brother and
the brother's wife were killed in the raid.
Bin Laden had two
marriages before Khairiah that ended in divorce and had more than 20 children
with his various wives.
Amal gave her
interrogators details on bin Laden's movements after fleeing Afghanistan. Her
account underscored that bin Laden did not stay long in Pakistan's tribal-run
regions on the border where the United States long presumed he was holed up.
She and bin Laden
hid for several months in 2002 in Salman Talab, a suburb of Kohat, a northwest
Pakistani border town. There bin Laden was visited at least once by Khalid
Sheik Mohammed, the 9/11 mastermind arrested in Rawalpindi on March 1, 2003.
Amal said they
moved constantly to avoid being spotted for several months in South Waziristan,
a border region. In 2004, she and other family members went to Shangla, a town
in the Swat Valley, 80 miles (128 kilometers) northwest of the capital
Islamabad. Bin Laden joined them by doubling back through Afghanistan because
it was feared he could be identified if he crossed Pakistan.
Later in 2004, they
moved to Haripur, only 20 miles (33 kilometers) from Islamabad, according to
the interrogation transcripts. After several months there, they moved in the
summer of 2005 to the villa in Abbottabad, a town 30 miles (50 kilometers) from
the capital and home to a large military base.
ISI officials
contacted by the AP refused to comment on Qadir's account. The wives and bin
Laden family members who were in the villa during the raid remain in Pakistani
custody.
Qadir, a 35-year
veteran and now a security consultant, took it upon himself to research what
happened in the May 2 raid. He relied on contacts in the ISI and in the border
regions where he was long based.
An old friend who
is a brigadier in the ISI allowed Qadir to read the transcripts of the
interrogations of Amal. Qadir asked that the ISI brigadier not be identified
because the information remains classified.
Qadir said he was
allowed to visit the villa four times, most recently in November. He described
the bin Laden bedroom, saying one wall was peppered with bulletholes and
splattered with blood, which his ISI escort told him was from Amal, who was
shot in the leg during the raid. There was also blood on the ceiling, which
Qadir presumed was from bin Laden, who was shot through the eye.
Qadir said he was
struck by the lack of defenses — no basement, no warning system, no escape
routes.
"It was a
death trap if it were ever attacked."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iiv5A0_54gRucnBWP8MIthc4bLew?docId=2824485e4b614e5f93187abc577daa81
---------
Saudi Telecom's
home boom may trim foreign ambitions
By Matt Smith
DUBAI, March 8
(Reuters) - Saudi Telecom Co's (STC) rising domestic revenue, halting a
downward trend for the former monopoly, may lead it to slow its overseas push
where it faces a tougher operating environment and limited buying
opportunities.
STC has won back
domestic market share by aggressively pricing broadband bundle packages, while
the firm - majority-owned by the government - has operations across the Muslim
world from Turkey to Indonesia.
"We are
concentrating on ICT (information communication technology) in our local market
as well as in other markets we operate in," Saad al-Qahtani, group chief
executive for strategic operations, told reporters at a conference in Doha.
"We are more worried about that than expansion."
In March 2011, STC
upped its stake in Indonesia's Axis to 80 percent and it has a minority holding
in Malaysia's Maxis . But the main jewel in STC's foreign portfolio is its 35
percent stake in Oger Telecom, which in turn owns 55 percent of Turk Telekom.
When asked whether
STC wanted to up its stake in Oger Telecom - majority owner the Hariri family
is thought to be a willing seller - Qahtani said STC was talking internally
about it, but no decision had been made.
"STC, like
other Gulf operators, wants management control of their foreign subsidiaries
and so they either up their stakes to get a majority shareholding or sell out
altogether - no company wants to hold a minority stake for 10 years," said
Marc Hammoud, Deutsche Bank telecoms analyst.
International
revenue rose 9.8 percent last year, but group annual profit fell 19 percent to
7.67 billion riyals ($2.05 billion), largely due to 1.1 billion riyals of
foreign exchange losses from its international operations.
"Other Saudi
companies have been more successful in hedging against FX risk," said Asim
Bukhtiar, Riyad Capital head of research. "STC say this is because it's
tied up with partners and can't force them to hedge one way or another, which
is one reason STC has sought majority control of its foreign units."
STC's foreign units
provided 32 percent of revenue in 2011, the same as a year earlier and well
short of its 50 percent target, while the firm's push abroad mirrors similar
moves by other former Gulf monopolies, such as Etisalat in the United Arab
Emirates and Qatar Telecom.
They have often
struggled outside their home region and away from the protection of a benign
regulator, with markets in Asia and Africa more competitive and less affluent.
Yet STC, unlike
Etisalat, has a growing home market in its favour. Domestic revenue rose 8
percent in 2011 as STC won back customers from Mobily and Zain Saudi.
"Capital
expenditure for STC's foreign operations has been expensive, so if the company
is doing well at home is there any need to expand internationally?" said
Bukhtiar. "Expanding internationally also carries risks, whereas STC knows
the Gulf markets and the regulatory environment here - it's much safer."
There is also a
dearth of acquisition opportunities. Few new licences are expected in the
Middle East and Africa and Gulf operators no longer seem keen on entering
markets as the third or fourth player, while the cheap borrowing that fuelled
the previous decade's spending splurge is a fading memory.
"STC is now
only looking at acquisitions that will be profitable from day one - it doesn't
want to pump in a load of money and then wait years for a return," added
Bukhtiar.
"I see STC
making acquisitions of companies providing peripheral services, such as data
and content providers, rather than buying foreign mobile operators or new
mobile licences." (Reporting by
Matt Smith; Editing by Reed Stevenson)
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/08/saudi-telecom-idUSL5E8DN2UL20120308
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Samjhauta blast
accused Chauhan’s wife stages stir
TNN
INDORE: Mar 8,
2012, The wife of Samjhauta express
blast accused Kamal Chauhan, Seema, observed a day-long fast on Wednesday against
the detention of her husband by the state police from February 9 to February 13
and subsequent arrest by the NIA.
Villagers of
Moorkhedi village from where Seema hails also joined Seema in the fast and
later submitted a memorandum to the SDM in Depalpur.
Advocate Amit Singh
Sisodia said that the gathering at Depalpur was briefed about the illegality of
detention. He said that a large number of villagers present on the occasion
extended their support to Kamal Chauhan.
Seema is likely to
move Panchkula court challenging the detention of her husband by the state
government.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Samjhauta-blast-accused-Chauhans-wife-stages-stir/articleshow/12181017.cms
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Syed Kirmani halted
from entering cricket stadium in Pakistan
Press Trust of
India
Karachi: 07 March
2012, Former India wicketkeeper-batsman, Syed Kirmani on Wednesday learnt that
life after retirement, even for the most celebrated of athletes, is very
different after he was stopped at the entrance of the National Stadium here.
Kirmani, who is
here for a private visit, was stopped at the gate of the National stadium where
he paid an impromptu visit to refresh old memories.
Wanting to visit
the stadium where he played in 1976, the security staff at the stadium was
unable to recognise Kirmani before a local journalist and former Test player,
Rashid Khan came to his rescue.
"I can
understand the reaction of the security staff. Obviously, they have their
duties to look after," Kirmani said after he was finally recognised and
guided into the stadium.
The journalist, who
was on his way out, instantly recognised Kirmani who was standing at the main
entrance and called down Rashid Khan, who then came to receive the former
Indian cricketer on behalf of former Pakistan captain Wasim Bari.
Bari, who sits in
the NSK, also played in the 1976 series and it was interesting to see him and
Kirmani refresh old memories while they went around the stadium and had a cup
of tea.
"I was going
somewhere else but when the driver told me this is the National Stadium I
decided I had to visit it and see it from inside," Kirmani said.
The former
glovesman was all for having regular sporting ties between India and Pakistan.
"I think at
the people to people level they are no problems. But political issues have
affected sporting and cricketing ties. But I have always felt it is good if
India and Pakistan play against each other as people of both the countries want
to see this happen," Kirmani said.
http://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/news/item/186548-syed-kirmani-halted-from-entering-cricket-stadium-in-pakistan
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URL: https://newageislam.com/islamic-world-news/pak-brigadier-tried-create-islamic/d/6808